Google Home Speaker launches June 25, $99 preorders June 17

Google Home Speaker ships June 25 for $99, with preorders opening June 17, and is billed as the first Google smart speaker in six years specifically designed for Gemini for Home. Purchases made before mid-September include six months of Google Home Premium, which Google says is required for Gemini Live.

What is the Google Home Speaker and when does it ship?

The Google Home Speaker is a $99 smart speaker that begins shipping June 25, with preorders available June 17, and it is positioned as the device that delivers Gemini for Home best. Google says the speaker runs local models for noise cancellation, echo suppression, and sound separation so Gemini can hear commands despite background noise, and the company bundles six months of Google Home Premium with qualifying purchases.

The device keeps the slightly squished round design shown at announcement, has touch-capacitive buttons on top, and a light ring at the bottom for status. It comes in four colors: porcelain, hazel, jade, and berry, with jade and berry listed as US Google Store exclusives.

How does it differ from Google’s prior Nest speakers and what are the specs?

The Home Speaker is smaller than the Nest Audio and is not claimed to match the Nest Audio’s sound quality, but Google calls it a "massive audio upgrade over the Nest Mini" and includes 360-degree sound. Two units can be paired for stereo or connected to the Google TV Streamer for spatial surround sound, a pairing option Google has not offered on previous smart speakers.

The speaker also functions as a Matter controller and a Thread border router, though it launches running Thread 1.3 rather than the newer Thread 1.4 specification. Google emphasizes local audio models for improving the device’s ability to hear Gemini in noisy homes. The Home Speaker supports Gemini for Home; the assistant has been available on Nest speakers for several months through an early access program and is designed to follow more natural, conversational commands without always needing a wake word.

Anish Kattukaran, chief product officer for Google Home, said the company spent the time since announcement improving Gemini for Home, including improving latency for smart home and basic media commands by up to 40 percent, fixing over 2,500 reported issues, and shipping more than 50 new features and improvements.

Why it matters

Google is making a clear bet that a tighter integration between hardware and Gemini for Home will change how people interact with their smart homes. Requiring Google Home Premium for Gemini Live — Google Home Premium starts at $10 per month — ties the most conversational assistant features and certain camera search and daily-summary features to a subscription. The device’s local audio models and new pairing options aim to solve two persistent problems: voice recognition in noisy environments and more flexible multiroom audio setups.

That combination matters because Gemini for Home is pitched as more conversational than Google Assistant, able to handle mid-sentence changes and follow-up questions. If the Home Speaker delivers that level of reliability in real homes, Google has a stronger case for pushing users toward its subscription tier and its broader smart home ecosystem.

What to watch

See whether the Home Speaker’s real-world listening and conversational accuracy match Google’s claims once reviews appear after shipment. Watch for whether Google updates the device from Thread 1.3 to 1.4, how widely the jade and berry color exclusives appear, and whether users adopt the Google Home Premium features tied to Gemini Live. Also note the author’s upcoming hands-on test when the speaker arrives the week of launch.

Kattukaran framed Gemini Live as "the most conversational experience you can have with Gemini," and the product will live or die on that promise when it reaches customers starting June 25.